One of the first steps in our renovation project was to hire an architect. The house is in a historic district, so we have to submit all alteration plans to the Landmarks Preservation Commission; we wanted to find someone who was very familiar with that process. We also wanted to find someone who was familiar with working on renovating old brownstones, and someone whose style we liked. Someone who comes with lots of good recommendations. And, not least of all, someone we could even close to afford. In our case he or she would be our main point person on the project, and, ostensibly, our advocate in any dispute that would occur later on.

Our Renovation Diary series follows 6sqft writer Michelle Cohen as she takes on the challenge of transforming her historic Clinton Hill townhouse into a site-sensitive modern home. This week she shares her plans for the storied structure and the first big step she’s taken to make her dream home a reality: assembling the professionals needed to make it happen.

After two years of tireless searching, we finally took the big, scary step of buying an old townhouse on a leafy block in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Clinton Hill. We loved the house at first sight; but to understate matters a bit, it needs some work. It’s a fixer-upper, though far from a wreck.

This renovation diary is an attempt to share what we learn over the next many months as this terrifying adventure unfolds, and let others learn from our mistakes!